1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to toy vehicles having a flywheel motor which when revved up causes the vehicle to travel in the forward direction, and more particularly to a vehicle of this type which when the vehicle travels a predetermined distance, is caused to swerve from the forward direction, to skid and to spin out.
2. Status of Prior Art
Toy vehicles are known which employ as the motor therefor an energy-storing flywheel coupled to one set of wheels. In order to rev up the flywheel, the player holds the car and pushes it along the ground until the flywheel has acquired sufficient momentum to drive the vehicle in the forward direction for a fair distance along the ground or a playing surface, after which the vehicle is released and permitted to travel.
In play, children usually seek as best they can to initiate an observed adult activity. Play, therefore, represents a learning experience that prepares the child for the adult world. Thus, a child who plays with a toy combat weapon prefers a toy whose appearance resembles that of an actual weapon, and a child who plays with toy cars or trucks is happiest with those that behave and look like vehicles of the type he has seen driven by adults.
A not uncommon experience encountered with actual vehicles is spin-out. This may occur when a driver runs over an oil slick or ice on the road, causing those wheels which engage the slippery surface to lose traction, as a result of which the vehicle veers from its travel direction. Should the driver, in seeking to cope with this unexpected condition then suddenly apply his brakes, this may accentuate the problem and cause the vehicle to skid and to spin-out.
In order to create spin-out and other stunt effects in a toy vehicle, the Kennedy et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,396 discloses a toy vehicle provided with a flywheel motor having gyro-like characteristics. By launching the vehicle from a ramp at an inclination to the floor or playing surface, the forward launching thrust combined with the gyro action gives rise to spin-outs. However, a vehicle of this type when simply propelled along a flat playing surface without first being launched from a platform is incapable of producing spin-outs.